Crime is at the center of many political debates. To improve public safety, and to ensure that those gains endure, policymakers should take a holistic view of the many factors that influence crime rates. The Brennan Center has been working for decades to fight fear with facts and build long-term solutions.
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Myths and Facts About Crime and Justice Reform
Politicians and pundits frequently use false narratives to justify overly punitive policies that won’t make communities safer. The Brennan Center counteracts these myths through research on crime rates and how they relate to specific criminal justice reforms.
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Debunking the Myth of the ‘Migrant Crime Wave’
Data does not support claims that the United States is experiencing a surge in crime caused by immigrants. -
FBI Data Confirms Drop in Most Crimes in 2023, Especially Murders
Attempts to cast doubt on the reliability of the numbers don’t hold up. -
Myths and Realities: Prosecutors and Criminal Justice Reform
There is no clear relationship between pro-reform prosecutors and increased crime. -
Myth vs. Reality: Trends in Retail Theft
Despite spikes in some cities, crime data doesn’t show a nationwide increase in shoplifting and other forms of retail theft. -
How Politicians Should Think About Crime
Public safety and fairness are not competing interests. -
Debunking Myths About Bail Reform and Crime
The best available data finds that changes in bail policy don’t affect crime rates. -
Trump Misleads About Crime and Public Safety, Again
The former president took the stage at CPAC to paint a bleak and highly misleading portrait of crime and public safety. -
Myths and Realities: Understanding Recent Trends in Violent Crime
The recent rise in crime is extraordinarily complex. Policymakers and the public should not jump to conclusions or expect easy answers. -
The Facts on Bail Reform in New York: How Pretrial Detention and Release Works Now
While the original law severely limited the use of money bail and jail in many lower-level cases, later revisions carved out significant exceptions. -
The Facts on Bail Reform and Crime Rates in New York State
There is no clear connection between recent crime increases and the bail reform law enacted in 2019. -
Violent Crime Is Falling Nationwide — Here’s How We Know
Preliminary FBI data, however imperfect, confirms a sharp downward trend in crime, undercutting attempts to blame criminal justice reform for pandemic-era spikes in violence. -
Analyzing the FBI’s National Crime Data on 2022 — With an Eye Toward 2023 Trends
The annual breakdown of crime statistics offered some encouraging signs after 2020’s sharp rise in violence.
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